Zechariah

Traditional view: The book is attributed to Zechariah son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, a priest as well as a prophet according to Nehemiah 12. Tradition has read the entire book as the work of this single figure active in the late sixth century.

Scholarly view: Most modern scholars distinguish First Zechariah (chapters 1-8), substantially the work of Zechariah in the late sixth century, from Second Zechariah (chapters 9-14), often called Deutero-Zechariah, which is generally dated later, perhaps in the fifth or even fourth century BCE. Some divide chapters 9-14 further into separate burdens.

Dating: First Zechariah is precisely dated by its superscriptions to 520-518 BCE, while Second Zechariah is undated and is variously placed between the late Persian and early Hellenistic periods.

1. 538 BCE

   Cyrus's decree permits the return of exiles and the rebuilding of the temple.

2. 536 BCE

   First return under Zerubbabel and Joshua; altar and foundation laid.

3. October-November 520 BCE

   Zechariah begins prophesying with a call to return to the Lord.

   Zechariah 1:1-6
4. February 15, 519 BCE

   The eight night visions are received in a single night.

   Zechariah 1:7-6:15
5. December 7, 518 BCE

   Delegation from Bethel asks about fasts; Zechariah responds with the oracles of chapters 7-8.

   Zechariah 7:1
6. 515 BCE

   Dedication of the second temple.

7. Late Persian to early Hellenistic period

   Likely setting for the burdens of chapters 9-14, with references to Greece and to a more eschatologically charged horizon.

• Return to me, and I will return to you

  The opening call to repentance sets the tone for the entire book. Restoration of the temple is inseparable from restoration of the people's hearts to the Lord.

• Apocalyptic visions and angelic mediation

  Zechariah's eight night visions, with their symbolic horses, scrolls, lampstands, and chariots, and their interpreting angel, mark a key stage in the development of biblical apocalyptic literature that will flower in Daniel.

• The Branch and the priest-king

  Several oracles announce a figure called the Branch who combines priestly and royal functions, building the temple and bearing royal honor, a christologically suggestive image that recurs in later messianic tradition.

• Jerusalem as the focus of God's purposes

  Jerusalem is depicted as a city that will overflow its walls, become a cup of staggering to the nations, host the return of the exiles, and finally be the throne of the Lord over all the earth.

• The nations drawn to worship

  Repeatedly the book foresees many nations joining themselves to the Lord, grasping the robe of a Jew to go with him because they have heard that God is with them, and ultimately going up to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

• The humble king and the pierced one

  Chapter 9 portrays a king coming to Jerusalem righteous and humble, riding on a donkey, while chapters 11-13 speak of a shepherd valued at thirty pieces of silver and of one whom they have pierced over whom Jerusalem will mourn, images deeply embedded in the New Testament's portrayal of Jesus.

• The Day of the Lord and cosmic kingship

  The final chapter envisions a climactic battle in which the Mount of Olives is split and the Lord becomes king over all the earth, a one universal worship of the one God.

• 1:1-6
  Opening call to repent— A summons not to be like the fathers whom the former prophets warned, with the promise that if Israel returns, the Lord will return.
• 1:7-17
  Vision 1: the horsemen among the myrtle trees— Patrol riders report that the earth is at rest while Jerusalem languishes; the Lord promises to return to the city in mercy.
• 1:18-21
  Vision 2: four horns and four craftsmen— Four horns that have scattered Judah are themselves to be terrified and cast down by four craftsmen.
• 2:1-13
  Vision 3: the man with the measuring line— Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls because the Lord himself will be a wall of fire around her and the glory in her midst.
• 3:1-10
  Vision 4: the cleansing of Joshua the high priest— Joshua, accused by Satan, is given clean garments and entrusted with the promise of the coming Branch.
• 4:1-14
  Vision 5: the lampstand and the two olive trees— The promise that Zerubbabel will complete the temple, not by might nor by power but by the Spirit, illustrated by the two olive trees representing the anointed offices.
• 5:1-4
  Vision 6: the flying scroll— A flying scroll executes the curse on thieves and false swearers throughout the land.
• 5:5-11
  Vision 7: the woman in the basket— Wickedness personified as a woman is sealed in a basket and carried away to Shinar.
• 6:1-8
  Vision 8: the four chariots— Four chariots go out to the four winds of heaven, executing the Lord's purposes among the nations.
• 6:9-15
  Crowning of Joshua and the Branch oracle— A symbolic crowning that points beyond Joshua to a future figure who will build the temple of the Lord and combine priestly and royal roles.
• 7:1-8:23
  Fasting, justice, and a restored Jerusalem— Answering a question about fasting, Zechariah turns from ritual to justice and concludes with a series of promises about a city full of old people, children at play, and nations streaming to seek the Lord.
• 9:1-17
  First burden: the humble king and the deliverance of Zion— Judgment on surrounding nations and the arrival of a righteous king riding on a donkey, bringing peace to the nations.
• 10:1-11:17
  Shepherds true and false— Restoration of Judah and Ephraim and a complex symbolic narrative of the rejected good shepherd and the worthless shepherd.
• 12:1-14
  Second burden: Jerusalem besieged and the pierced one mourned— The siege of Jerusalem turns into the defeat of her enemies, and the inhabitants mourn over one whom they have pierced.
• 13:1-9
  A fountain opened and the shepherd struck— A fountain for sin and impurity is opened in the house of David; idolatry and false prophecy are abolished, and the sword strikes the shepherd.
• 14:1-21
  The Day of the Lord and the kingship of God— A final battle for Jerusalem, the splitting of the Mount of Olives, and the establishment of the Lord as king over all the earth, with the nations going up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.